The Sprout
The newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley
Issue 147 May 2020
The Sprout
Issue 147, May 2020
Contents
3 Letters to the Editor
4 Botley Walks
9 Hedgehog Awareness
10 Help with Bills
11 Painted Pebbles
12 Key Worker
13 Love Your Weeds
14 Planning apps
15 Scarecrows Galore
16 Visual Therapy
17 Randoms
19 LOCKDOWN SUPPORT
From the Editor
After the excitement of last month, this month’s Sprout seems a bit quiet,
despite the ongoing emergency. The Parish Council has continued to do
a good job of collating information about all the help available, and this
has been distilled into a poster, through the unstinting efforts of Cllrs
Lorna Berrett and Chris Church. You will find it on page 19 and on the PC
website and noticeboards. While we can’t compete with Facebook for
instant updates on who’s delivering the best meals, what happened to the
Fairy Doors, who sang loudest on May Morning (but see page 17 for a
topical version of Over the Rainbow), etc, etc, what we can do is provide
more detailed reading. So you will find some routes for walks around
Botley on pages 4 to 8, and things to look out for on pages 11 and 15 (but
don’t forget to put your painted pebbles back where you found them so
the next person can share the fun). Help with crisis-induced debt from
Citizen’s Advice (page 10). Things for gardens on pages 9 (making
hedgehog highways) and 13 (appreciating your weeds). If you haven’t
started already, now’s the time to beautify your front garden ready for the
Botley in Bloom contest (page 18). And if what you’re missing is the
cultural input possible in a city like Oxford, help is on hand on page 16.
We’re sorry that the May 2020 Sprout is so short, and only available
online. There are no adverts for the duration, so no money to fund the
printing costs, quite apart from issues around delivery. Let’s hope we can
get back to normal in June. Stay well and happy reading.
Ag MacKeith
2
Letters to the Editor
Community asset
I write to you as Chair of Oxford Rugby Club to invite the local community
to stroll to the End of North Hinksey Lane and use the Oxford Club as a
Community Resource, not just during these difficult times but for the
foreseeable future. There are approximately 14 acres of open space
allowing for straightforward social distancing. Car parking is easily
accessible.
As temporary caretaker of the club I have checked security each morning
and seen a steady trickle of users throughout April, be they serious
runners, joggers, families taking a stroll or responsible dog walkers.
Everyone has respected the grounds, for which we are very grateful.
All we ask is that users stay off the 1st XV pitch which has been seeded,
and that dog walkers to use the edges or the grassed parking area at the
top of the grounds.
John Brodley, Chair ORFC
Traffic Calming in North Hinksey Village
The lockdown has resulted in a huge increase in walkers discovering the
peace and beauty of North Hinksey Village. We welcome them, but are
concerned for their safety when the usual traffic resumes. Although the
road leads only to the Rugby and tennis clubs, there is significant traffic,
particularly at weekends when 30 mph is typical and 50 mph has been
witnessed more than once.
This is potentially dangerous bearing in mind here is no pavement -
meaning pedestrians, small children, cyclists, dog walkers and horses all
have to walk in the road. It is only just wide enough for two vehicles to pass
in places and is not gritted in winter. Of particular concern is the blind
corner passing College Farm and the straight section from Hinksey House
to the end of the village green where drivers frequently put their foot down.
There are several families with young children in the village and it is not
safe for them to play outside on the green.
When the road was rebuilt after the sewer was renewed, an arbitrary 15
mph sign was painted on the road, but this has now worn away. The cul-de-
sac sign at the village turn-off was demolished several years ago by a
speeding truck. We believe a 20 mph speed limit would appropriate, but we
invite Sprout readers to share their opinion in the next edition.
Rod Chalk, Chris Andrews, Chris Sugden, Elaine Sugden
3
Out and about – Botley Walks.
1. The beacon and beyond
We are fortunate to have easy access to some lovely open spaces.
There are many circular walks that anyone can use for their daily
exercise.
One (often surprisingly quiet) is the walk up past the Jubilee Beacon,
which offers several options. But start (perhaps from West Way) with a
steady walk uphill Crabtree and Laburnum roads, or Hutchcomb and
Cedar, to Arnolds Way. By the bus stop at the top of Laburnum take the
path between the older houses and the new Turner Close development.
Follow the narrow path to avoid social distancing issues turn right
about 80m along on to the recreation ground and then walk alongside
the hedge parallel to the path. At the top of the field, go through the gap
in the hedge (may be muddy). Ignore the paths going left and right and
follow the grassy track uphill, with a hawthorn thicket on the right for
about five mins. At the top (through another possibly muddy patch) the
path opens up with fields on either side.
At this point everything changes. Walk 50m and look back and right for
views off to the north-east across north-east Oxfordshire as far as
Bicester and beyond. Another 100m and then you’re close to the
beacon itself (made by Stan Lewendon, former pupil of Matthew Arnold
school, and installed by NHPC in 2012 so we could play our part in the
national beacon chain celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Ed).
You can now see (on a clear day) the Cotswolds in the far north-west;
turn around and there’s the Chilterns to the south-east. South-west
views are obstructed by Boars Hill and Cumnor Hurst but the Ridgeway
is visible between the two. On a clear sunny evening the view from
here is simply astonishing.
Beyond the beacon there are various options. Carry on over the hill and
turn right when you reach the Chilswell Path. A left soon after leads you
up across a field and up to Cumnor Hurst woodland. Walk up through
the wood to the open glade at the top (shown in the photo with its trig
point). Beyond that is a path to the edge of the wood where there are
great views across to the Ridgeway. From the Hurst return the same
4
way (or find the circuitous route over a stile near the glade down to the
new housing development in Chawley by Cumnor Hill).
Alternatively turn left
along Chilswell Path,
going south. A few
minutes will take you
to the junction where
paths go west to
Wootton, south to
the Chiswell Valley
(aka Happy Valley),
across a field up into
the woods on Boars
Hill, and also east.
The eastern route is
a narrow path that will take you into the Hinksey Heights woodland and
nature reserve. Fork left and uphill shortly after entering the wood and
the path leads to Brookes Westminster campus.
From here you can either:
Walk through the west side of the campus towards new buildings
at the back. From here there is a tarmac path that connects to the
Turner Close development and your circle is complete.
Walk down Harcourt Hill and turn left into Raleigh Park our
most valuable green space. Cut through the park and take the exit out
into Raleigh Park Rd. From there you can connect back to Botley.
Walk further down Harcourt Hill, close to the A34, and return to
West Way via Westminster Way or use the subway under the A34 to get
to North Hinksey.
Chris Church
2 Tour of Botley and North Hinksey
There are two versions of this walk, with optional detours to take in
various sights. Both alternatives start in North Hinksey Lane and follow
the same route through to Raleigh Park. The longer route (the Grand
Circular Tour) is nearly 6 miles long. The second option (the Slightly
5
Less Grand Circular Tour) is just over 2 miles long. Neither walk is
suitable for cyclists, but either is suitable for walking dogs (although
they must be put on a lead in the Cemetery and at Conduit House).
Grand Circular Tour
Start at the western side of McDonalds’ car park. Head south down
North Hinksey Lane to Botley Cemetery to view the Commonwealth
War Graves. Come out of the cemetery, turn right and find the five-
barred gate of North Hinksey Nature Reserve on your left after 100
yards. From here you can admire the Old Manor House on the opposite
side of the road, before you enter the Reserve through the gate. Go
down the path past the pond (you will see the Community Orchard to
your left) and exit on the far side into Minns Business Park. A footpath
runs along the left side of the building in front of you, leading to the
footbridge over the Seacourt Stream and bringing you out into Seacourt
Nature Reserve.
Turn right and head south out of the Reserve via a gate under a
massive pylon into open grassland Oxford Preservation Trust’s
Hinksey Meadow, famous for wild flowers and butterflies. Continue,
keeping the Seacourt Stream on your right, until you reach the kissing
gate at the far right corner of the field. Exit onto Willow Walk. Turn right
and cross the bridge back onto North Hinksey Lane. Turn left and look
out for St Lawrence
Church at the bend.
After visiting the
Church go back to
the Lane and take
a left at North
Hinksey Primary
School onto the
service road.
Halfway along,
follow the cycle
path running up
past allotments and
through the A34
underpass to Westminster Way where you turn left again. Just before
you reach the A34 cross the road and go through the gate into Raleigh
Park. Walk straight up the hill until you come to a wide open space near
6
the top then turn around to see a good view of central Oxford and its
spires. Facing downhill, take the path to your right which runs past small
ponds to the gate onto Harcourt Hill. To visit the Conduit House (see
photo), turn left and walk about 100 yards down the hill and follow the
signs. You can’t go inside, but you can marvel at the ancient graffiti
scratched into the stone. The 17th century conduit took water from local
streams to the city, and the original water course, recently unblocked
thanks to local efforts, runs through the end of North Hinksey village. On
your way again, carry on uphill past Brookes Harcourt Hill campus. At
the end of the road, continue straight on for about a mile, ignoring the
gate on your right. This footpath is tree-lined and starts off quite wide
but narrows towards the end. Where the trees end you will find yourself
at a crossroads with a major footpath (the Chilswell Path). Turn right
and follow this new footpath to Hurst Lane, passing the small wood that
is Cumnor Hurst on your left. Turn left up Hurst Lane and at the end
cross Cumnor Hill. Walk a few yards uphill and then climb over a stile at
the start of two footpaths. The one to the left leads to Chawley Village,
but you should take the right hand path alongside Long Copse. Follow
this footpath downhill across open grassland. As you near the A420 you
walk past some rushes and pass through a few trees to a double gate
which takes you through to a final field. Head towards the gate in the far
right hand corner and continue through to Orchard Road and past St
Andrew’s Church to Eynsham Road. Turn right and after about 50 yards
cross Eynsham Road and walk down Fogwell Road.
Enter the playing field on your left and walk past swings and exercise
machines to the trees on the
far right side. Here about half
way between the exercise
machines and the bmx bike
area (see photo), a path runs
through a gap in the trees
over a plank. This leads to
the start of an open area of
trees and grassland between
Fogwell Rd Estate and the
A420. Continue until you can
go no further in that direction,
when you turn right into the end of Fogwell Road.
Walk down this end section of Fogwell Road and continue along a
7
footpath. Turn right along another footpath between the houses and turn
left again at a lamppost. At the end bear left across the road and take
another footpath which brings you through to Broad Close. Turn left
down Deanfield Road and then a right turn will take you back to
Eynsham Road.
At Eynsham Road turn left and continue along West Way past the
Seacourt Bridge Pub on your left and Elms Parade shops on your right,
to the A34 flyover. Here cross West Way at the traffic lights, go left and
return to your starting point at the entrance to North Hinksey Lane.
Slightly Less Grand Circular Tour
After viewing the spires of Oxford
from Raleigh Park (see photo)
continue uphill to the gate at the
top. Follow the short tree-lined
footpath to the junction of Lime
Road and Yarnells Hill. Bear left
along Lime Road. After Cedar
Road go through a gate on your
right into the Lower Field part of
Louie Memorial Playing Fields.
Walk downhill past the
playground and into a copse at
the bottom of the field
(Hutchcomb’s Copse) taking one
of several footpaths there which continue down through the trees to a
concrete path where you turn left. You will see a pond and fen area to
your left immediately before reaching houses and then a gated exit onto
Hurst Rise Road.
Turn left and walk uphill around 100 yards until the road veers left. Here
cross and turn right into Cumnor Rise Road, an unadopted road which
you can follow down to Cumnor Hill. Turn right at the bottom and follow
West Way keeping the Seacourt Bridge Pub on your left and Elms
Parade shops on your right, under the A34 flyover. After walking a short
distance further you will pass Seacourt Tower on your left and reach
your starting point on the right at the entrance to North Hinksey Lane.
With thanks to Chris Sugden
8
Hedgehog Awareness Week 2020
The week commencing 3rd May 2020 is Hedgehog Awareness Week
our annual opportunity to do our bit to protect these much-loved wild
animals.
If you’d like to help reverse the decline in hedgehog numbers the most
helpful action you can take is to link your garden. By making a small
hole in your fence (13cm square) you can help ensure that hedgehogs
have a sustainable habitat for foraging and finding mates. As in previous
years, I have five ‘Hedgehog Highway’ signs (pictured below) to give
away to the first five Sprout readers who contact me with a photo of a
newly created hedgehog access point.
This year we’re also focusing efforts on reducing roadkill (estimated to
be up to 100,000 hedgehogs nationally per year). If you’d be willing to
stick a ‘hedgehog crossing area’ sign (pictured) on one of your wheelie
bins to raise awareness among passing drivers (albeit only on bin
nights), please contact me. I’d be particularly pleased to post these to
residents of Finmore Road, Crabtree Road and Westminster Way which
are hotspots for hedgehog roadkill.
Looking forward to hearing from you on roger.dalrymple@spc.oxon.org
and thank you for your help for hedgehogs.
Roger Dalrymple (British Hedgehog Preservation Society)
9
Coronavirus:
Get help if you can't
pay household bills
The arrival of coronavirus in the UK and the threat of infection has
emptied streets, confined us in our houses, closed shops and offices
and filled hospitals with thousands of patients. So far so bad, but the
financial issues have widened the scale of the problem: many of those
fortunate enough to remain healthy have suffered a loss of income so
drastic that even the paying of essential household bills is difficult.
However, there are definite steps you can take to tackle these bills.
Many banks and utility companies have already reached out to their
customers with offers of help. So don’t ignore your bills, but get in touch
with the companies to whom you owe money, or expect to owe money.
They might be able to help by redistributing your debts, letting you pay
in smaller amounts, over a longer time period, or on a deferred basis.
If you are repaying a mortgage, contact your provider. The government
has mooted the idea of a three-month mortgage payment holiday and
you might be eligible for it.
If you pay rent, contact your landlord to discuss the situation. If you are
at risk of being evicted, remember that since 26 March 2020 the law on
evictions has temporarily changed and, for many types of tenancy,
eviction notices have to last a minimum of three months.
You might be able to claim benefits, or enhanced benefits if you already
receive them. The Citizens Advice website has details:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk
As for Council Tax, if your income has dropped or you are on benefits,
you might qualify for reductions. Contact your local district council, using
the details on your latest bill.
Get in touch with your gas or electricity supplier, as well as
telephone/broadband company. Their help line phone numbers should
be on your latest bill. They can tell you whether a special payment plan
can be set up.
If you owe income tax, HMRC has a free help line you can ring: 0800
015 9559 (Mon-Fri 8 to 4).
For further information, Citizens Advice Adviceline is always there to
help you: 0300 330 9042.
10
Painted Pebbles
Lockdown with three smallish
children isn’t easy, but it was made
better by the amazing weather
we’ve been having!
It has also made us look around at
more local things to do and -- let’s
be fair we are blessed, living in
this beautiful corner of Oxford. As a
family we have discovered many
paths and trails right from our front
door.
One of these amazing places that I
have only just discovered (with a
little help from my friends!) was
Hinksey Heights Nature Board
Walk. You get to it at the end of
Stanton Road, halfway up Harcourt
Hill (or from the Hinksey Heights
Golf Club, though this is closed for
now). This lovely location was
made all the better by the colourful
and beautifully painted rocks we
found there courtesy of Holly,
Nathan, Heidi and Olivia Harwood.
We spent a good few hours
roaming in the reserve, finding over
33 stones.
Since we’ve visited there have
been a new set added to the
collection. I can’t wait to go back in
search of them! I’ve seen many
people posting their finds on the
Botley Notice board so from
everyone in my family, Thank you,
Holly” for making lockdown a little
more bearable.
Eloise Goodhand
11
Key Worker
Becoming a key worker wasn't my first thought a month ago when
panic-applying for a job at Tesco, but after weeks of slinging food into
cars at click-and-collect I'm now taking the public appreciation in my
stride. My younger brother, who started a week before me, says he's
also learnt to gracefully accept the mask-muffled mutterings of 'I really
appreciate what you're doing, mate!'
At a time of mass unemployment it seems strange to be praised for the
privilege of working. One taxi driver made this clear. When watching him
load a vehicle's worth of bottled water ordered by his client into his car, I
polishing my car-side conversation said 'well that's panic paying our
wages.' 'Paying your wages' he corrected, 'we're barely getting anything
right now.'
Since the hiring of 45,000 new workers by Tesco alone, supermarkets
have become oases of employment in a drying economy. Staffed by
armies of personal shoppers (including at least three Matthew Arnold
students) picking online orders in silence from 2 am each morning, and
shelling out shopping through a click-and-collect service running at full
capacity, Tesco Cowley's system is now considered by many long-time
workers to be in overdrive 'absolutely crazy,' and 'this is insane' are
phrases hourly exclaimed, alongside arguments in the canteen about
whether or not masks should be worn and how staff can be encouraged
to promote social distancing measures, given the backlash from some
customers.
There is also some disgruntlement over whether staff count as 'key' or
'essential' workers, and so qualify for testing and weekly applause.
Coronavirus-related deaths are of course far lower here than in the
NHS, but it is nevertheless a necessary service with some health risk.
And the work isn't easy. Being outside in a car park might be an
exclusive perk nowadays, but the constant lifting of heavy trays of food
is fairly full on, particularly for older colleagues, many of whom are
working four times as hard as before, for a 10% pay rise.
Supermarkets may not be first up for thank-yous, but for now, as an
impractical person hoping my questionable bagging abilities won't get
me sacked, I'll be accepting all the praise I can get.
Michael Jacobs
12
Love your Weeds
Every gardener is taught that weeds are bad. They compete for the
soil’s nutrition and moisture. But I find hard to hate the golden dandelion
so important for nectar-collecting bees. Or to chop a daisy, star-bright
on the lawn. I even allow some bindweed to climb up a post because I
love its white trumpet flowers, virgin pure but heralding sheer bloody-
minded resilience.
And if you think I’m a soft-hearted romantic organic grower, with garden
unkempt and a riot of choking foliage, then let me explain. Weeds aren’t
all bad. Some are beautiful, some provide nutrition for the soil, and
many are helpful to beneficial insects. Along with your chosen plants,
they contribute to that all-important biodiversity that any growing area
needs. As Jack Wallington memorably wrote in his book Wild About
Weeds weeds can be good, bad and indifferent. Like me, he is happy
to garden with these rebel plants.
Let’s look at the good ones: Weeds are sometimes the first flowers to
appear. So hungry bees and other insects emerging in early spring will
access their nectar. Daisies, dandelions and white dead-nettle are all in
full bloom in April. With cow parsley loved by aphid-eating hoverflies –
hot on their heels.
Stinging nettles are a
remarkable plant. The
stems and leaves make an
excellent mineral-rich liquid
feed after soaking for a
week or so in a bucket of
water. Older stems are as
strong as string, and can
be used as a plant tie (use
gloves to cut stems,
plunge into boiling water
for a few minutes, weave a
couple into a rope and
then dry. You’ll not be able
to break it no matter how hard you pull.) Nettles are the food plant of
Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma butterflies. And the
seeds are used in herbal medicine to alleviate fatigue. You can also
give them to your chickens to encourage them to lay eggs, or so I was
13
told by Miss O’Malley, Botley’s former Health Visitor, remembering her
childhood on an Irish farm.
Edible weeds include ground elder (its young leaves are like spinach,
and equally full of goodness); fat hen is full of vitamin C; and a bramble
will treat you to autumn blackberries.
Some weeds are drop dead gorgeous. Leave single plants of rosebay
willow herb (clear all the others) to appreciate its remarkable
architectural splendour and rich reddish/pink flowers. Or keep a scatter
of brightly coloured poppies to liven your veg patch, and distract birds
from your strawberries. A small clump of self-seeded chamomile
between your patio stones will fill the air with fragrance as you tread
over them to sip an evening gin and tonic.
To weed or not to weed? Are brilliant blue forget-me-nots weeds? Or the
darker azure alkanet? The scarlet pimpernel and the lime green
spurge? I never invited them into my garden, but they enhance every
bed they pop up in. Weeds don’t need feeding or pruning. The only
maintenance is keeping on top of them, so that those you don’t want
don’t turn to seed, and those that you do can shine.
For advice on how to manage your weeds the organic way, go to
www.gardenorganic.org.uk/weed-management (especially worth reading
for advice on clearing your allotment without weedkillers).
Borrowed from Guy Singh Watson’s WickedLeeks, with local input
LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS
P20/V0764/HH
64 Yarnells Hill. Single storey
ground floor front extension with
associated alterations.
16 March
Target Decision
Date 10 May
P20/V0670/FUL 56 Hurst Rise Rd. Erect 2 new 4 bed
dwellings with associated bin and
bike stores.
15 April
TDD: 10 June
P20/V0921/FUL
Botley Centre West Way. Demolish &
redevelop existing buildings for new
commercial use at ground floor level,
with 150 residential dwellings above.
Plus car parking & landscaping.
17 April
TDD: 17 July
Comments by
30 May
P20/V1049/HH 186 Westminster Way. Conversion of
existing detached garage to
habitable accommodation.
27 April
TDD: 22 June
14
Scarecrows Galore
What have people been doing during lockdown to keep their spirits up?
Here’s a response from the north side of West Way. Thanks to
Rosemary Ralphs for getting in touch to tell us about this creative
flourish.
”In Hazel Road we decided to cheer everybody up by creating a
selection of Scarecrows. One day we saw some crows around and
thought it would be a great idea to make these in time for the NHS Clap
for Carers. Many families have taken walks on the street with their
children to marvel at our creations and take photographs.
The joyriders
15
The plumberThe gardener
Visual therapy
Are you like me, frustrated at not being able to get to art galleries
because of the COVID-19 lockdown? Help is at hand. Many museums
and galleries are staging online exhibitions, virtual tours through their
closed doors, and art history lectures, or interviews with exhibiting
artists. Check out my personal selection:
1. No place more familiar than the ASHMOLEAN, which has begun
the ambitious project of making all its collections viewable on line. Thus
far, they have exceeded 112,500 objects, including paintings, displayed
on an easily navigable site: collections.ashmolean.org.
2. Another local treasure is MODERN ART OXFORD, which has
generated a lively armchair gallery of its current exhibition: Enter Tools
for Life online and discover new insights into Johanna Unzueta’s works
with short videos, behind-the-scenes moments, curator’s notes,
children’s activities and more: modernartoxford.org.uk
3. Or you could take a virtual wander up to London and view the
ROYAL SOCIETY of WATERCOLOUR ARTISTS' exhibition at the MALL
GALLERIES, together with a 2-minute interview with one of their prize-
winners: mallgalleries.org.uk.
4. Or go even further afield to Chichester, home of the excellent
PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY, which features illustrated descriptions of
the exhibitions they have put on hold during the necessary closure,
together with a relatively long discourse on a particular painter or
movement: pallant.org.uk.
5. Alternatively, you could subscribe to the ART FUND, which in
view of all the closures is highlighting online a variety of visual treats;
currently they are visiting displays at the Birmingham Museum & Art
Gallery; the Courtauld Institute; Kettle's Yard and the National Gallery:
artfund.org.
6. Lastly, why not stay really local and visit our very own BOTLEY
ARTS' website, featuring work by local painters, printmakers and
photographers: botleyarts.com.
As they say in New York, sit back and: ENJOY!
Ruth Cameron
16
Randoms
A version of “Over the Rainbow” for our times, sung in McDonalds’
empty car park by Old Botley residents on 1st May:
Someday, after the lockdown
Who knows when
There’s a land that I heard of
Once in a happy dream.
Someday, after the lockdown
Skies are blue
There all the dreams you dare to dream
Really do come true
Wish I could wish upon a star
And wake up with the virus far behind me
Where doctors have a well-earned rest,
And we’ve reclaimed the NHS,
That’s where you’ll find me!
Someday, after the lockdown,
Swallows fly,
chasing the insects
in the sky.
Wish I could wish upon a star
And wake up with the contrails far behind me.
With no more melting polar caps,
And no more wages gender gaps,
That’s where you’ll find me!
Someday, after the lockdown,
Skies are blue,
There all the dreams you dare to dream,
Really do come true!
The Tap Social Movement
Glad to report that the Tap Social Movement looks fit to survive the
crisis. Rumour has it that the splendid sales of home delivered beer and
the ongoing furlough arrangements have enabled it to stay afloat.
17
‘Botley in Bloom 2020’
Remember that front garden competition
that used to have neighbours competing to
dazzle the world with their beautiful creations?
Inspired by Linda Losito’s article in March, and
spurred by the current crisis and the need to
keep healthy and go outside, the Sprout has
joined with North Hinksey Parish Council to revive
Botley in Bloom. There will be three categories:
1. Best Overall Front Garden
2. Best Car Bower – surrounding your front garden
parking space with greenery and flowers
3. Best Vegetable Element a front garden that features
vegetables, though these need not be the whole story.
It would be nice to have a children’s competition tallest sunflower,
perhaps, but that couldn’t be judged till rather later. Meanwhile, we’re
hoping we’ll be able to do the judging in June when flowers are at their
best. If you plan to play a part in this exciting neighbourhood event, fill in
the form below and send it back to editor@thesprout.org.uk over the
next few weeks. Closing date is June 1st.
18
Botley in Bloom 2020
I would like to enter the Botley in Bloom competition
Name (please print)………...…………………………………….
Address ………………………………………..….………………..
Contact details: email …………..…………….. phone ………………
Please tick relevant category
Category 1 (Overall)
Category 2 (Car bower)
Category 3 (Vegetable element)
19
!"##$%&'("%)*+'&,-'./012345'
67$89($:*;'
!
Advice!from!North!Hinksey!Parish!Council!&!‘Botley!Responders’!
!
More!online!at:!*$%&,,)*9<-=3#8>+$?>"9@8$?)(34538$AA"*)&=3,"B@!
regularly!updated!information ,!loca l!se rvice s!a nd !list!of!7$8 C 7'< &% - - & '8 $ * &C 8 & <>'
!
If!you!need!help!or!can!help !o th ers !em a il:!!D$&7-=E-<#$*(-%<F +AC)7>8$A'
!
/GH$%(<,)%-'<"##$%&'H$%'?"7*-%CB7-'C*('6C&'%)<9;'#-$#7-I'
J4KLM'K5'NK'OJ!(8:30am!to!8:00pm!Mon!to!Fri,!9:00am!–! 5:00pm !Sat!and!Sun)!
or!email!<,)-7(F$GH$%(<,)%->+$?>"9'
'
0C7-'$H'&,-'P,)&-'Q$%<-'2)<&%)8&'.$"*8)7I'
8$AA"*)&='<"##$%&'H$%'&,$<-')*'*--('R*$&',)+,'%)<9SI'J4OTM'UOOLJJ!
or!email!!8$AA"*)&=<"##$%&F<$"&,C*(?C7->+$?>"9'
'
D$&7-='.$AA"*)&='V%)(+-I'
Free!food!deliveries!for!those!in!need!and!
to!reduce!waste:!!!food@mypho n e.co op!!!
or!phone!or!text:!07759!135811!!
!
V$$('(-7)?-%)-<'H%$A'D$&7-='.$3$#I''
(limited!support!from!local!store!for!those!
isolated!at!home;!payments!taken !o ver!
phone):!!01865!721935'
W+-'XY'/GH$%(<,)%-I''
Helpline!for!older!local!people:!!01865!411!
288.!!www.ageuk.org.uk/oxfordshire'!
!
.,)7(7)*-I''
free!and!confidential:!!0800!1111!
www.childline.org.uk'
Z-*&C7'Q-C7&,'OU@N',-7#7)*-I''
For!adults:!01865!904!997!!
For!children!&!young!people:!01865!904!
998!!
!CAC%)&C*<:!116!123!
/GH$%(<,)%-'Z)*(:!01865!247788!
!
/GH$%(<,)%-'($A-<&)8'CB"<-',-7#7)*-I!!
0800!731!0055!(MonQFri!10Q19:00)'
UK!Domestic!Violence!helpline:!0808!2000!
247!(24!hour)!
'
Z-()8C7I''
Prescription!deliveries!(by!local!Scouts):!!
07514!059123!or:!spdsoxford@gmail.com!
Botley!Medical!Centre:!01865!248719!
Lloyds!Pharmacy:!01865!247023!
[Q!I''
For!all!concerns:!111!
https://www.nhs.uk/'
!
Stay!safe!–!stay!home!–!use!these!services!
COVID-19
Community Hub website and Botley Responders
For all you need to know for local and national support during the
lockdown visit the COVID-19 community hub page on the parish council
website: https://northhinksey-pc.gov.uk/covid-19-community-hub/
The hub includes sections on how to get support, medical and
prescription services, food deliveries and shop opening details, how to
stay connected, keep fit and stay mentally healthy, council services,
financial advice, how to volunteer and things to do for all the family.
The Things to do Section includes ways to safely enjoy the outdoors
plus online exercise, art and crafts like Artweeks online, music, free
online learning, a local weekly pub quiz and much more. Stay fit, learn
and enjoy while supporting your local small businesses.
The hub also has links to our list of Botley Responders over 50
volunteer street coordinators who represent their roads, providing
information and support, setting up local street WhatsApp and email
groups, delivering leaflets, helping with shopping and friendly phone
calls to make sure no-one is cut off even if they have to self-isolate. A
huge thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help in their street
and to put the resources together for the website.
We still have some streets without representatives and other volunteer
opportunities so if you can help please email
BotleyResponders@gmail.com Please check the web page regularly
as it is kept continually up-to-date. Lorna Berrett
20
The Sprout
The Newsleer for North Hinksey & Botley
Directors: Janet Bartlam, Judi Bolder, J o h n C l e ments,
Michael Cockman, A g MacKeith, Robin Palmer
Editor
Ag MacKeith
South View House, Old Botley, OX2 0JR Tel: 724452 Editor@TheSprout.org.uk
Advertising Manager
Michael Cockman
50, St Paul's Crescent OX2 9AG Tel: 07766 317691 Adverts@TheSprout.org.uk
Deliveries
Bhee Bellew and Robin Cox
15 Seacourt Road, OX2 9LD Tel: 790648 Deliveries@TheSprout.org.uk
Copy Date: Copy by 15th of month preceding publication. Earlier submission is
welcome. Later contributions may have to be held over to the next issue.
Advertisements: If you have print-ready advertisements in the correct format
the last day for booking advertising is the 10th of the month preceding
publication; in all other circumstances more advance notice will be needed. For
details about exact sizes, quality requirements, advice on text and help with
production, please contact the Advertising Manager.
Advertising rates:
½ page: 1 issue £56; 3 issues £135; 5 issues £182; 10 issues; £308
¼ page: 1 issue £28; 3 issues £67.50; 5 issues £91; 10 issues; £154
1/8 page: 1 issue £14; 3 issues £33.75; 5 issues £45.50; 10 issues; £77
Subscriptions: If you live outside North Hinksey Parish you can still receive The
Sprout on a regular basis. Just take out a postal subscription only £10 per annum,
delivered to your door. Contact: Carol Kramer 01865 243002.
Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information printed in this
newsletter, mistakes may happen. The Editor and Team apologize unreservedly for any
errors that may occur and will do their best to correct them. This publication is not a
vehicle of the parish council, and parish councillors working with the Sprout do so in a
personal capacity. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the individual contributors.
All concerned in the production and delivery of The Sprout are unpaid
volunteers.
The Sprout is (normally) printed by Dataprint L t d , a n d is published
by North Hinksey Parish Publications Ltd, (a company limited by
guarantee) Registration No. 05609535 .
It can also be found online at BotleyHinksey. o r g . u k
21